The students at CELS have been attending makerspace on a Monday afternoon for most of the year. Every student makes a unique contribution to the community. This makerspace is still mostly driven by the students own curiosity and our support. The materials we work with are mostly e-waste and other recycled ‘craft’ materials. We are fortunate to have a beautifully lit space and the support of exceptional teachers.
From a recent article by Pasi Sahlberg and William Doyle
in the Wall Street Journal regarding the importance of children’s play:
“The importance of playful learning for children cannot be overemphasized,” declared the academy’s 2018 clinical report “The Power of Play.”
According to the doctors, play—including recess, playful teaching and discovery, as well as periods of self-directed intellectual and physical activity by children with minimal direct interference by adults—boosts mental and physical health, develops executive function and offers “the ideal educational and developmental milieu for children.” That is particularly true for children in poverty, who can be acutely deprived of opportunities for play inside school and out …
[T]he American Academy of Pediatrics notes that “the lifelong success of children is based on their ability to be creative and to apply the lessons learned from playing.”
https://www.wsj.com/articles/to-really-learn-our-children-need-the-power-of-play-11565262002
Students are excited to be able to learn to use tools they have only seen before but never used. Cutting open a speaker… building an underwater motor… I am learning more about my students each week.